If all this sounds somewhat grim and clinical, it's not.

He sounded all at once grim, very much the war-leader.

That might have sounded grim, except for his lighthearted tone.

This may all sound grim, but I can assure you it's not.

That may sound grim, but 19th-century capitalism is a big improvement over 18th-century feudalism.

The knight who had first seen the stag sounded grim.

You make it sound so grim, the grande dame said.

The exertion of keeping himself steady made him sound grim.

He sounded grim at the last teachers' meeting, however; you two must have been alarmed.

"A waste of effort, dear," he said, trying not to sound grim.